A longtime sports reporter has become the first female sports radio host in Canada. Andi Petrillo was just named the new voice of TSN 1050’s Leafs Lunch from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. on weekdays.
Petrillo has a long history with the Toronto Maple Leafs, including being the first female sports reporter to travel with the team when she joined Leafs TV as a reporter in 2006. After that, she moved on to work for Hockey Night In Canada, and later the NHL Network.
In an article with SB Nation Petrillo says that she hopes her experience with the organization and her time spent covering the other 29 NHL teams will give her a unique outlook on the show. She also credits her co-hosts, such as hockey insider Bob McKenzie, as being able to bring a different perspective to the show.
Most importantly, Petrillo’s new position signifies the change going on in the sports world. The growth of women in sports has taken huge leaps this past year, from the NFL getting their first female referee to the Buffalo Bills hiring the first full-time female coach.
But something that is still looming in the sports industry is the need to put ‘female’ in front of any position a woman holds. Petrillo cites the way female sports fans wish to be treated as simply sports fans to describe the way she feels in this new position. She doesn’t want to be known as a female sports host, but instead as just a sports host.
Looking ahead, Petrillo is excited to start in her new position in the afternoon sports show. With the NHL’s trade deadline approaching she has a busy schedule, and as usual, she is getting straight to work.